Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Rocks Aroma Festival 2010: George Street

Little did I know that the festivities extended onto George Street. Honestly, I thought it was the Sunday flea market goings-on up there. But whoa, when I walked up the steps onto George, I was greeted by another long row of white Aroma Fest tents and another sea of people!

That was when I went, "Bugger! How is my camera going to be able to take all this in before dying?!" And so, the photos in this post are a mixture of what was taken by a friend who saved the day and what I was able to record, before the batteries called it a day:

... and I like that combo of guarana+ginseng+honey. Would keep me super hyper, I think! They are a family-owned and run bee-keeping business in Basin View (Jervis Bay, NSW). Harvesting straight from the bee hives, all their honey is 100% pure, raw and completely natural.

Gluten and preservative-free, it makes the perfect gift for coeliac friends and family. They have a mouth-watering variety of 17 fabulous fudge flavours available by the bar, in packs of 3 or a value 7 pack. They also now have new sugar-free and dairy-free ranges, and is available for orders online.

Based in Earlwood and with a second retail store located within the Wentworth Connection in the CBD, they have won numerous Gold and Silver awards and contracts, such as supplying the Sydney Opera House.

A roastery, coffee bean boutique and caffe bar located along the busy Clarence Street in the heart of the CBD, they also serve a variety of salads, gourmet sandwiches and savouries in addition to their aromatic coffee.

When human beings see the word 'FREE', they will immediately be interested. But at this stall, with or without that word, there would still be a hoard of a crowd. Hey, it is after all Australia's own Gold Medal-winning chai latte! Jenny and Angeline braved the crowd for their own free sample.

I liked the colourful array of labels on the funky tin canisters of the herbal tisanes. The tisanes were created by a naturopath who has over 20 years experience in the realm of natural medicine from herbs that are locally grown and organic, where possible. There are articles and fact sheets provided on their website, as well.

From humble beginnings in Cowra, they now serve a range of condiments, dressings and sauces that are of premium product range, made with only the finest and freshest local ingredients. The name of the range stems from its first product, the Poppy Seed Salad Dressing.

They pride ourselves in being a third generation family owned company and are passionate about the traditions that have been handed down to them. Their product is roasted and blended using artisan techniques and state of the art equipment, and as such the Genovese Espresso Coffee experience, as they claim, is second to none.

Sicily's favourite coffee, Milazzo Coffee is blended and roasted in the traditional Southern Italian style from carefully selected Arabica beans. Located in Castle Hill, they won a bronze medal each for espresso coffee and milk-based coffee at the 2009 Australian Golden Bean Roasting Competition.

I also tagged along with Angeline and Jenny into the MCA for the Domestic Expo. I was totally confused looking at the different kind of tools and machines on offer just to make coffee. I suppose, every 'thing' in our mundane day-to-day lives could become a sophisticated work of art if we let it be.

Aroma Fest again, next year? Yes, and this time armed with a camera with fully-charged batteries!

P/S: Thank you, Alex, for helping me take the rest of the photos! I'll treat you to a sinful tub of Sara Lee Moccona Cappuccino Indulgence ice-cream, k?